Walter Hasenclever

The play The Son, premiered in 1914, established Walter Hasenclever as a significant figure in German Expressionist drama. Born in Aachen in 1890, he navigated a career spanning poetry, screenwriting, and theatrical production before political upheaval forced him into exile, ultimately leading to his death in 1940 at the Les Milles concentration camp.

Early Education and Literary Development

The son of doctor Carl Georg Hasenclever and Mathilde Anna, he attended the Einhard-Gymnasium in Aachen. His higher education took him to the University of Oxford in 1908, followed by studies at the University of Lausanne and subsequently in Leipzig between 1909 and 1914. During this period, he focused on literature and philosophy, resulting in his first poetry collection, Towns, nights and people, published in 1910.

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Expressionism and the First World War

Hasenclever initially volunteered for military service at the onset of the First World War, though his stance shifted significantly. He adopted a strategy of simulating mental illness to secure a release from duty in 1917, spending time in a sanatorium where he was painted by Oskar Kokoschka. That year, he received the Kleist Prize for his adaptation of Antigone. In the postwar era, he maintained connections with contemporaries including Kurt Tucholsky and Jean Giraudoux, while balancing his role as a French correspondent for 8-Uhr-Abendblatt with his creative output in Berlin.

Cinematic Work and Political Exile

By the late 1920s, Hasenclever achieved success with the plays A Better Gentleman in 1926 and Marriages are Made in Heaven in 1928. His professional repertoire expanded to include screenwriting, notably for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he contributed to films featuring Greta Garbo. Upon the rise of the National Socialists in 1933, his literary contributions were banned and subjected to state-sponsored book burnings. He relocated to Nice, where he married Edith Schläfer in 1934.

Imprisonment and Death

During the early stages of the Second World War, French authorities detained Hasenclever on two separate occasions as a foreign enemy. Following the occupation of France, he was interned at the Les Milles camp. In the early hours of 22 June 1940, he committed suicide using the barbiturate Veronal to avoid capture by Nazi forces. He is interred at the Saint-Pierre Cemetery.